T-6B Texan II enters service at NAS Whiting

[HeyJoe]

100518-N-0321D-002 WHITING FIELD, Fla. (May 18, 2010) Ensign Christopher Farkas taxis a new T6-B Texan II. Farkas is the first student to train in the T6-B Texan II. Training Air Wing (VT) 5 at Naval Air Station Whiting Field is anticipating a complete transition from the T-34C Turbomentor by 2015. (U.S. Navy photo)

 

[C420sailor]

That paint job sucks.

 

[Clux4]

That paint job sucks.

I think it takes some getting used to.

 

[BACONATOR]

Pensacola is looking pretty good for my next set of orders...

 

[Rocketman]

There is a great write up called "Florida Welcomes Texans" in the US Navy Airpower special edition of the Air Forces Monthly magazine. Well done with some great pics. Three B models were delivered Jan 5th 2010 to TRAWING 5 presumably with that new airplane smell.. (The BN of the one in the pic above isn't listed so there must be more than 3 in town by now?)

Who's gonna be the first to blow chunks in one?

 

[bunk22]

If my Kingsville gig fell through, I would ask to go straight back to Whiting. The T-6B looks like a sweet plane. That or the T-34C was that bad.

 

[Van]

Who's gonna be the first to blow chunks in one?

Already been done. I'm the "proud" owner of that title! :icon_smil

Edit: No, I didn't get any in the plane. I've got pretty quick at popping the mask off and snatching the ziplock to my face!

 

[Hozer]

Farkas? Damn, about time he made it to Primary...

 

[SynixMan]

Is this the first class to go through VT-3 with the Texan? I thought they've been training with the T-6B for a month-ish now. Ground school for a month first?

Oh, and saw a pair on the ramp at MVC a few weeks ago. VERY f'in cool up close.

 

[NavAir42]

... presumably with that new airplane smell..

They do. One came out to Jax for a change of command and I got to poke around it a little while the two O-4s flying it were doing preflight. It had a very bewildering "new plane smell". Not what I'm used to when it comes to Naval aircraft. I'm far more used to the accumulated aroma of thirty years of farts, puke, sweat, and it the P-3: CAD smoke and burritos.

 

[Recovering LSO]

With this airplane being much more capable than the good old Turbo Weenie (speed, ceiling, maneuverability, cockpit layout, ejection seat, etc), are they going to start detailing more TACAIR guys down there to instruct?

 

[Jim123]

With this airplane being much more capable than the good old Turbo Weenie (speed, ceiling, maneuverability, cockpit layout, ejection seat, etc), are they going to start detailing more TACAIR guys down there to instruct?

Rhetorical question, right?

 

[Recovering LSO]

Rhetorical question, right?

Nope. Actual question I don't know the answer to - but am curious.

 

[Jim123]

Nope. Actual question I don't know the answer to - but am curious.

If I were a bettin' man, I'd put my money on a "firm maybe."

I'd say it depends on whether guys ask for those orders, what kind of support detailers, XOs, and COs give to guys on that choice compared to traditional "preferred" career tracks, and last but not least who else fills the billets that those guys would have otherwise filled? I guess these are all statements of the obvious.

Then again NVG flights crept into the orange-and-white syllabus about five years ago (helos- ie. modern night tactics instead of only pattern work and navigation), so who's to say what could be done in the T-6B 5/10/15 years from now.

 

[Hozer]

Contract instructor pilots? Believe it. They've taken over the sim world and there's plenty waiting for the flying side of the house to cave under manning pressure.
It won't happen tomorrow, but I see it in 5 yrs or so.